Eight days after any male Jewish baby was born, he was to be circumcised. Thus, January 1 marks the eighth day after Christmas.
Luke 2:21-32 reads:
"On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.
"When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord"), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: "a pair of doves or two young pigeons."
"Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel."
In Simeon, we recognize some of the themes we wrestle with around the beginning of the New Year: questions about the purpose of life, arrivals and dismissals, and time as it passes. Jesus, the one who came down from heaven, submits thoroughly to a holy passing of time as prescribed in God's law: "on the eighth day..." Simeon also finds that time is not a secular, meaningless thing, but is shaped by holy arrivals and dismissals, and namely by God's coming to his people.
I am fond of Robert Burns' song, "Auld Lang Syne," which is Scottish for "Old Long Since." It is essentially a defense for raising a toast to the past, the times that have been. This is a good song to sing in a time of festivity, when there is a collective pause in life's achievement and people ask, "why not sing and raise a glass to all that has been?" Simeon's song gives us a picture of fulfillment that won't require looking to the past. It brings to mind the sense that if we meet the face of Jesus, there will be no lingering regrets, no love lost over achievements that were not attained. The narrative of Simeon's life is the pursuit and the finding of the Messiah who is real, who is there, who has a name. His acknowledgement of death and the waning of his years is not morbid or suicidal. It is a reminder to us that death brings an end of sin and brings us to God.
This reminds me of the verse in Genesis when God creates the starry host:
"And God said, "Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days, and years..." Morning. Night. Days. Months. Years. And in a precise second, one year turns to the next. The Genesis text shows us that even the stars in the sky are there, in a sense, to mark "sacred times." They are not created out of randomness, but for festivity, for joy, to mark seasons, for growth, maturity, so that we may see more of God's face, and that he may see more of ours.
Finally, George Grant shares a "Prayer for the New Year:"
O Lord,
Length of days does not profit me except the days are
passed in thy presence,
in thy service, to thy glory.
Give me a grace that precedes, follows, guides, sustains,
sanctifies, aids every hour,
that I may not be one moment apart from thee,
but may rely on thy Spirit
to supply every thought,
speak in every word,
direct every step,
prosper every work,
build up every mote of faith,
and give me a desire
to show forth thy praise,
testify thy love,
advance thy kingdom.
I launch my bark on the unknown waters of this year,
with thee, O Father, as my harbour,
thee, O Son, at my helm,
thee, O Holy Spirit, filling my sails.
Guide me to heaven with my lamp burning,
my ear open to thy calls,
my heart full of love,
my soul free,
Give me thy grace to sanctify me,
thy comforts to cheer,
thy wisdom to teach,
thy right hand to guide,
thy counsel to instruct,
thy law to judge,
thy presence to stabilize.
May thy fear be my awe,
thy triumphs my joy. Amen. (George Grant, Christmas Spirit, 188-189)
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